


Stalkers, Lies and Manipulations

by Bertie_Beth



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Don't Try This At Home, Fake!Bad Boy Derek, M/M, Matt is a creep, Mentions of Cora Hale - Freeform, Mentions of Laura Hale - Freeform, Mentions of Lydia Martin - Freeform, Mentions of Scott McCall - Freeform, Spoilers for certain books (see notes), Stalker Matt, Stiles is an idiot, Stiles is in over his head, mentions of Sheriff Stilinski - Freeform, or at least they're attending college at the same time, stiles and derek are the same age
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-04
Updated: 2017-01-04
Packaged: 2018-09-14 20:25:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9201041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bertie_Beth/pseuds/Bertie_Beth
Summary: Stiles needs help when the guy he's been seeing turns out to be a giant stalker. Angry, murder brows on campus will help, right?





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was written based on a prompt I found on Tumblr:
> 
> "My current partner is a huge asshole and I need a reason to break up with them so will you pretend to be my possessive, violent ex-boyfriend?"
> 
> Quick spoiler alert:
> 
> This fic has heavy spoilers and opinions for the Maze Runner Series, including all the sequels and prequels, and The Rest of Us Just Live Here, which is an amazing book and worth reading. All opinions lent to this fic are mine and mine alone.

Stiles stands in the middle of campus and stares down at his cellphone. He's been in a lecture since eight thirty, it's now almost eleven and Stiles has thirteen missed calls from Matt and seven text messages, all of which are variations of 'why aren't you answering my calls?'

  


Stiles is officially freaked out. 

  


No, actually, he was freaked out the day Matt had had flowers delivered to his apartment, because he'd never actually given Matt his address. And then, during their date the previous night, Matt had started talking about moving in together - after dating for less than three weeks! - so Stiles had had to fake some sort of emergency so that he could get the hell out of there!

  


And now he's trying to come up with a way to get rid of Matt, because he has a feeling the guy isn't going to take 'no' for an answer.

  


"I hate it when Scott's right," he sighs to himself as he deletes Matt's texts and the record of his phone calls, because Scott had definitely been right when he had said that Matt had looked a little creepy as he watched Stiles from across the dance floor at _Jungle_. But Stiles thought he was cute and Stiles hadn't been on a date in over three months and Stiles was sick of playing third wheel to Scott and Kira, he needed some action and Matt had seemed like a good way to have a little bit of fun. It wasn't supposed to be anything serious.

  


Apparently, Matt never got that memo.

  


Even as he stands outside the building his class had been in, his phone lights up with another phone call. It was on silent because of class and now he uses that as an excuse and just shoves it into his pocket, ignoring it completely.

  


He really needs to come up with some sort of plan to get Matt to leave him alone and that sounds like a job for Lydia. Stiles looks at his watch and notes that he's still got some time before Lydia's class lets out at eleven-thirty so he starts to make his way across campus to the Math department, hoping he can persuade her to have an early lunch with him so that they can hash this out. Considering this is Lydia's only class of the day and Stiles' next class doesn't start until two in the afternoon, he thinks it looks promising, even though he's not exactly looking forward to hearing what she has to say about this whole situation. But it'll be worth it in the end if she can help him.

  


With a sigh, Stiles shoulders his backpack and turns towards the north end of campus, where the Math department lives, his mind going crazy, wondering what exactly Matt is doing right now, since Stiles isn't answering his calls. He's not really looking forward to going home. 

  


What the hell did he ever do to deserve someone like Matt in his life?

  


He's crossing over the grass when something flashes out of the corner of his eye and he looks up to see a guy sitting underneath a tree, engrossed in a book. He's reading an actual book, not a Kindle or a Nook, which is surprising in itself, considering most of Stiles' friends do nothing but rave about their latest gadget, but as Stiles' looks closer, he can see that it's Sourwolf.

  


Stiles has seen the guy regularly since he started at UC Beacon Hills almost three years ago, usually near the English department, making Stiles curious about his major.

  


But the thing Stiles notices most about him - apart from how insanely, unfairly attractive he is - is that he always looks incredibly angry. He has a permanent scowl on his face, like he wants to rip someone's throat out with his teeth, and Stiles has seen more than one underclassman run away from him in fear.

  


Stiles stops right there on the grass, ten feet away from the guy, as a really horrible idea hits him and he stands there for a second, weighing the pros and cons and wondering if he's going to get killed for even suggesting it.

  


In the end, the prospect of being free of Matt outweighs his fear of being eaten, so he takes a deep breath and walks towards the guy.

  


The guy looks up as Stiles' shadow falls across him, his eyebrows already scowling hard, and Stiles just launches into the speech he prepared in the last two seconds without giving the guy a chance to speak.

  


"Okay, look, you don't know me, but here's the deal. The guy I'm currently sorta seeing is a huge, creepy asshole and need a reason to break up with him. So will you pretend to be my possessive, violent ex-boyfriend or something to scare the guy away - hey, are you reading The _Maze Runner_?"

  


The guy blushes - actually blushes! - and looks down at the book still in his hands, like he's surprised it's there.

  


Stiles laughs, a little hysterically, and drops down onto the grass. "Sorry, I didn't mean to, like...I read that book last year, and the sequels and prequels. I really liked it."

  


Sourwolf nods his head slowly. "My sister made me watch the first movie last week. I liked it, but I read some stuff online about how many changes were made to the story from the book, so I wanted to see for myself."

  


Stiles leans forward a little to see his progress. "And? What did you think?"

  


"Honestly? I think they dumbed it down for the movie. They got rid of so much, changed a lot of stuff, like the mind reading thing and the griever bite antidote. It was like they thought their audience wouldn't be smart enough to understand."

  


Stiles practically vibrates in place. "Right?! But I mean, surely most of their target audience would have already read the books first?"

  


"Cora says that was why they cast those pretty MTV people, so that people wouldn't care about the source material, they were just there for the actor."

  


Stiles shrugs. "Maybe they were, but that still doesn't mean they weren't smart enough to understand some of the concepts they got rid of, because wait 'til you see what they did with The Scorch Trials and the rest, not to mention what the new prequel did to the actual books."

  


The guy frowns. "I thought there was only one prequel?"

  


"No, two," Stiles says with a shake of his head. "One that deals with the origins of The Flare, like, way before the Maze Trials were even an idea, and another one that deals with Thomas' origin and how he started working for WICKED and what they did to him. I was so disappointed in that book."

  


The guy looks back down at the book in his lap. "Thanks, I'm not sure I want to keep reading now."

  


Stiles blushes furiously and stumbles over his words. "NO! I mean, please don't quit because of what I said. Those books are seriously amazing and so smart. The second prequel is really well written; I just thought that it left too many questions unanswered."

  


The guy snorts. "I'll trust you, just this once."

  


They lapse into silence for a minute as Stiles tries to reevaluate this guy in his mind. This is not what he was expecting when he walked over.

  


"I'm Stiles, by the way."

  


"Derek."

  


"Nice to meet you." Stiles nods at the book Derek's still holding. "Do you like things like that? YA fiction?"

  


"I like what I like. I never got that whole 'guilty pleasure' thing. I don't think you should be embarrassed about something you enjoy, or feel guilty about it. If you like it, own it."

  


Stiles smiles brightly. "Yeah, that's exactly what I think. Although, I don't think I'm going to be telling very many people that I read _Arrow_ fan fiction."

  


Derek laughs and blushes again and Stiles thinks that's his new favorite thing.

  


"Have you ever read _The Rest of Us Just Live Here_?" he asks and Derek shakes his head. "It's a weird concept, but it's really good. You ever see that episode of _Buffy_ , 'The Zeppo'?"

  


"Yeah, the one where Xander solves his own crisis while Buffy and the others save the world, right?"

  


Stiles swoons a little over not even having to explain the premise of the episode to Derek, but he soldiers on. "Yeah, well, imagine a whole book like that. It's about this group of nobody-type friends, just trying to get on with their lives. They're just struggling with jobs and prom and graduation and eating disorders and dysfunctional families while the hero-types are just running around in the background trying to save the world and the normal-types just say things like 'God, I hope it's not vampires again, that was really annoying last time.' It's a fun idea."

  


Derek smiles. "That sounds interesting." He reaches for the bag that's lying on the grass next to him and pulls out a notebook and pen, opening it to a clean page. "What did you say it was called? _The Rest of Us Just Live Here_?"

  


"That's right."

  


Derek scribbles down the title and puts the notebook away.

  


"What was it you were saying about a psycho boyfriend?"

  


Stiles groans and drops his head into his hands. "He's not even my boyfriend; he's just this guy I went out with a couple times. Seriously, it's been, like, two weeks. 'Cept now he's gotten a bit...clingy."

  


"Well, can't you just tell him you're not really feeling anything between you?"

  


Stiles levels a look at him. "When I say 'clingy', I mean thirteen missed calls and eight texts in two hours, sending flowers to my apartment even though I never told him where I lived, asking if we can move in together when we haven't even had sex!"

  


Derek winces. "Okay, that's a little unnerving, but-"

  


"When I tried to leave for class this morning, he was parked outside my building with a camera, taking photos of my apartment window. I had to sneak out the backdoor and get the goddamn bus because I didn't know what he'd do if he saw me getting into my car. I get up pretty fucking early for this class, Derek. He either got there really early this morning, or he was there all freaking night!"

  


Derek's eyes widen. "Stiles, this sounds pretty serious. You...you should maybe think about going to the police."

  


Stiles cringes. "God, don't say that. My dad is the police. I'll just end up getting a lecture about how I need to pick guys better."

  


"You're dad's the police?"

  


"He's the Sheriff of this lovely one Starbucks town."

  


Derek grins. "You're Sheriff Stilinski's son?"

  


Stiles narrows his eyes. "I don't think it's a good thing that you seem to know the Sheriff so well."

  


"My mom is Talia Hale."

  


"The Mayor? That's so cool! She's awesome."

  


"Yeah, I like her." Derek's smile dims. "So, if you're not willing to go to the police, what exactly is it you think I'm going to be able to do to help you get away from this guy?"

  


Stiles grows nervous again. "Um, so you might not be aware of this, because you're actually a really nice guy, which I was not expecting when I walked over here, but you look a little...murder-y?"

  


Derek groans and thumps his head back against the tree. "God, my sisters tell me that all the time. Laura says that, instead of a resting bitch face, I have a resting serial killer face."

  


Stiles laughs loudly. "Well, she's not wrong. Though I have to admit, you're personality doesn't match."

  


Derek blushes yet again. "Thanks, I think. So, what does helping you get away from this guy actually entail?"

  


"Uh, well, I haven't figured out the whole plan, but I thought maybe I could drop a few hints by text, say I've been avoiding him because my violent ex was just released from prison and I didn't want to paint a target on him while the police figured out how they were gonna keep me safe or whatever. Then I could suggest we go to a club or something at the weekend and you could conveniently lurk in the corner and then, like, ambush us in the parking lot or something and be all 'Stiles is mine' and Matt will hopefully run away crying."

  


Derek laughs. "Okay, and so if I do this, what do I get out of it?"

  


"Hey! I just gave you an awesome book recommendation. What more do you want?"

  


"I was thinking maybe...dinner? Or a movie? I haven't seen the new Marvel movieyet."

  


"What? Seriously?"

  


"No one would go with me and I always feel kind of creepy and weird going to the movies by myself."

  


Stiles rolls his eyes. "No, I mean...you seriously want to go out with me? Like, on a date?"

  


"Sure, why not?"

  


"Because recent evidence suggests that I seem to attract weirdos that may or may not decide to kill me when I dump him? You might want to maintain minimum safe distance instead of wanting to get even closer."

  


Derek just shrugs, looking completely unconcerned. "Maybe I think you're worth the risk? And maybe I think that, together, we can get rid if this guy." He looks down at the book that's still in his hands. "And maybe I just like the idea that you actually came over here to talk to me, considering most people seem to think I'm going to rip their face off if they even look at me."

  


Stiles can feel himself blush this time. "But..that's exactly why I did come over here,

because you look like a serial killer. I only talked to you because I wanted you to do me a favor."

  


"And you can repay that favor my going on a date with me."

  


"Alright, tonight? I have a class at two, but then I'm free. We could catch an early movie and then go somewhere for dinner?"

Derek nods. "That sounds good."

  


Stiles takes his phone out of his pocket and unlocks it before he hands it over to Derek. "Put your number in."

  


He frowns as he types in his number. "You have three missed calls and two texts from Matt." 

  


Stiles sighs and takes his phone back. "I seriously need to start listening to people when they warn me about someone I want to date."

  


"Should I expect so sort of interview from your friends before we have our second date?"

  


Stiles lifts his phone and snaps a photo of Derek. He sends it to both Scott and Lydia. "Let's find out."

  


It doesn't take long for Lydia and Scott to reply.

  


_Lydia: 'Marry him.'_

  


_Stiles: 'You should be in class.'_

  


_Scott: 'Dude, you're dating Derek Hale? Did you finally dump the stalker?'_

  


_Stiles: 'We'll talk about the break up thing later, hush.'_

  


He turns to Derek. "My friend Scott seems to know all about you."

  


Derek frowns, clearly trying to place the name. Then he brightens. "McCall, right? He interns at the veterinary practice with my foster brother, Isaac."

  


"Wow, small world."

  


"Small town."

  


Stiles bites down on his lower lip and just goes for it. "I'm about to go get an early lunch before my next class, if you want to join me?"

  


Derek doesn't answer for a few seconds, looking at his watch and then his phone and Stiles thinks that he's pushed too far too fast.

  


But then Derek nods and starts gathering his stuff. "Sure, I could do with some food."

  


"Awesome." Stiles jumps to his feet, bouncing a little as he waits for Derek to stand and then he leads him towards the coffee shop where he was planning on meeting Lydia.

  


He's still holding his phone in his hand when it lights up, drawing his attention. It's another phone call from Matt, making him frown.

  


But then Derek's asking him what his major is and what he's planning on doing after college, something Matt has never done in the last two weeks. So Stiles just puts his phone in his bag and starts talking about his plans on being a social worker.

  


///

  


It's still early when Stiles gets home from dinner with Derek, but considering they'd spent the whole day together, Stiles figures that they shouldn't push it. It was their first date, they don't really have anything to prove. But Stiles had had a great time, even though he'd already seen the movie twice before, it was worth it to spend some more time with Derek. 

  


He still feels slightly guilty that he'd basically only approached Derek for selfish reasons, but he'd paid for both dinner and the movie and he thinks that Derek is okay with everything.

  


He seemed like he'd had a good time anyway.

  


Stiles has just got through his front door, dropping his keys in the bowl on the hall table, when his cellphone rings. He'd turned it back on after dinner in case Derek tried to call, or in case Lydia wanted to gossip about his date.

  


But when he checks his phone, it's not either one of those; it's not even Scott or his dad calling to lecture him about his laundry.

  


Instead, it's Matt, because of course it is, and Stiles drops his head onto the kitchen counter, but he thinks that he needs to get this over with, so he answers the phone with a dull sounding, “hello?"

  


_"You got home late,"_ is Matt's opener and Stiles immediately starts making sure all of his doors and windows are locked.

  


"Yeah, I, uh...there was some...I had a bit of a-a problem. I had to go down to the station, and then I just needed some time with my dad, so I hung out there for a while."

  


_"The station? You mean the police station? Are you okay? Did something happen to you?"_

  


"I'm fine, but my, uh, my ex was released from prison a few weeks ago and apparently he was spotted in town."

  


There's a painful pause and Stiles can't help but grin.

  


_"Are you...is he supposed to stay away from you? Why was he in prison?"_

  


"I think he held up a liquor store? Or something? He used to...I mean he-he hit me, once or twice and he didn't like it when I talked to other people. I got a restraining order, but my dad said that he's been seen in town and he's been asking about me. So, you know, I'm a little scared."

  


_"But, like, he's not going to come after you, is he? He knows you're dating me now, so that means he should back off."_

  


"Matt, Tyler isn't the kind of guy who can take 'no' for an answer." _Much like you,_ Stiles thinks to himself. "He kind of just expects everyone to do what he wants and if they don't, he just sort of...makes them do what he wants."

  


Stiles rolls his eyes. He's really playing up this whole 'bad boy' thing, but after meeting him and spending practically the whole day together, Stiles isn't so sure Derek's going to be able to pull it off. Sure, the guy could probably hold his own in a fight, if he needed to, but actually being physically threatening towards someone with no provocation...Stiles isn't so sure about that.

  


_"Um, okay, that...that sounds bad, Stiles, I don't know if-"_

  


Stiles cuts him off. "No, don't...don't say that, okay? Yeah, Tyler's a little aggressive, whatever. But I also have a restraining order, right? So as soon as that guy comes near me, he is back to prison so fast his feet won't even touch the floor." He doesn't know if that is actually true, but for this to actually work, Matt needs to be really scared off, and having him cut and run before the main event will probably result in Matt still conducting stakeouts outside Stiles' apartment, maybe even campus or his job at the public library. And that would mean that the second he was spotted with Derek, Matt will be all over him, calling him out on his bullshit.

  


No, they need to freak Matt out so bad that even spotting Stiles at the mall will make Matt want to leave the building completely.

  


"Don't let Tyler win, Matt, please."

  


There's another pause,but finally Matt heaves a sighs. _"Alright, fine, but I'm serious, Stiles, he better not come near you. I don't like the idea of him thinking he can just come back in here and take what's mine. I'll bet he's not even that tough."_

  


Stiles pulls the phone away from his ear and makes a face at it. Seriously, how creepy can this guy actually be? He was planning on stringing this whole thing out for another couple days, just to make sure Matt was actually buying this whole 'jealous, possessive jailbird ex' thing, but he's not sure that he can make himself put up with Matt for that much longer. He needs Matt out of his life sooner rather than later.

  


"Awesome. So, listen, Jenn Bostic is playing one of her little indie gigs at a cafe in town on Tuesday, I was gonna take my friend Lydia, but she's not really that big of a fan; do you wanna come with me?"

  


_"That sounds great. Why don't I pick you up a couple hours before it starts? We could have dinner or coffee or something at the cafe, catch up a little, since I haven't seen you all day?"_

  


"That sounds great," Stiles says, choking on the words.

  


_"Great, you'll text me the details?"_

  


"As soon as we hang up."

  


_"Yeah, we should do that now. You've had a really long day, you deserve an early night; I know you have an early shift at the library tomorrow."_

  


"Hmm," Stiles says, internally freaking out because, once again, where he works was not something Stiles had told Matt. "I'll see you Tuesday, then."

  


_"Can't wait. Bye."_

  


Stiles hangs up without another word, dropping his phone on the counter like it was on fire. "I should be getting the restraining order against you, you creepy asshole!" He yells at his phone and wonders if you actually can get a restraining order against someone without actually informing them.

  


Instead of following up on it, Stiles picks up his phone and opens his texts messages, starting a new conversation with Derek.

  


_Stiles: 'Operation Get Rid of Creepy Matt is a go.'_

  


He crosses to the window while he waits for Derek to reply and he isn't at all surprised to see Matt's car parked across the street. He opens up a new memo on his phone and makes a note of the license plate. Derek might be playing the stalker boyfriend, but Matt actually is one and Stiles isn't taking any chances. There is the possibility after all that this whole plan won't work out. His phone chimes with a new text.

  


_Derek: 'Excellent, let me know details and what you want me to do.'_

  


Stiles grins in spite of everything. No matter what Matt's done or what he will or won't do in the future, he's got Derek and that's a pretty good thing to be dealing with right now.

  


///

  


Matt was supposed to pick Stiles up at five thirty - Jenn Bostic was going on at seven, which gave them enough time to grab dinner at the Italian place across the street before she started.

  


Except it's just after five and Matt has been sitting out front of Stiles' apartment for the last hour and a half and Stiles has just about had enough.

  


He texts Derek and grabs his jacket, wallet and phone, locking his door behind him and makes his way outside.

  


"Hey!" he says brightly as he pulls open the passenger door of Matt's car, "you got here early, more time for dinner!"

  


Stiles has to stifle a laugh as Matt scrambles to hide the camera he's been using to take photos of Stiles and his building. The amount of times Stiles has seen Matt parked outside of his building, he honestly doesn't know how many more photos Matt needs or how he manages to take something different each time he's here.

  


"Um, hi! I was just about to text you," he covers with a stained smile and Stiles tries his best not to roll his eyes. "I got off work a few hours early, so I thought, why not spend a bit more time together?"

  


Stiles just nods and buckles his seat belt, settling in for not just an awkward car ride, but an awkward dinner, too. 

  


Stiles and Derek had decided that Derek confronting them before dinner, in broad daylight, doesn't really work for their plan - as menacing as Derek is hopefully capable of being, darkness would probably give him an edge. Especially considering that Stiles knows now that Derek is really just nothing but an overgrown puppy.

  


Seriously, he's starting to wonder if they can pull this off.

  


His phone chimes with a text from Derek, telling Stiles that he's ready and that he'll be in the parking lot of the cafe just after six thirty. Stiles breathes a little easier, know that in less than an hour and a half, this will hopefully all be over.

  


"Who was that?" Matt asks, like he has a right to know. "You seem happy." Stiles just shakes his head.

  


"I have a project due for one of my classes next week, that was just one of my partners telling me she's finished her part, so we're halfway to a decent grade."

  


"This friend have a name?"Matt asks with a teasing smile, but Stiles can hear the underlying tension in the question, the jealousy that's peeking through.

  


"Heather," Stiles says quickly, since Matt knows all of his other female friends, and Heather is the only female in any of his classes he regularly interacts with.

  


"We should get together sometime. I'd like to get to know more about you and your friends."

  


_Keep tabs on me, you mean,_ Stiles thinks to himself, but he smiles instead of agreeing or disagreeing and settles in for a long, uncomfortable time in Matt's company.

  


  


///

  


  


"We really should get going," Stiles says after dinner and Matt is dragging his feet about leaving the restaurant. "Jenn is supposed to go on just after seven and it's already six thirty; I'd like to get a good seat."

  


Matt frowns. "You're not having fun? You want to leave?"

  


"Of course I'm having a good time, Matt, but I've been looking forward to hearing Jenn sing for months, since it was announced she was playing here. I don't want to miss her and I was going to take Lydia, but I thought it would be something nice for us to do together."

  


"Yeah, but...we won't be able to talk, I thought you wanted to spend time with me."

  


Stiles fights the urge to roll his eyes or smack Matt silly. "We just had dinner, Matt, and now we're going to listen to an awesome singer. What more do you want?" It comes out a lot meaner than Stiles meant, but he's slowly losing the will to live sitting in this restaurant. He smiles across the table. "She's really good, I promise."

  


Matt's smile is stiff and unfriendly and Stiles is tempted to tell him to forget it, that he'll go by himself.

  


But that means putting off their plan until another day and he just can't face having Matt in his life for another minute.

  


Instead, he asks for the check and doesn't even give Matt a chance to offer to pay half, because the idea of owing Matt anything - even in a case like this - doesn't sit well with him.

  


Stiles checks his phone on the way out, and sees a message from Derek, telling Stiles that he's waiting in the parking lot of the cafe and Stiles takes a deep breath, praying that they pull this off.

  


Matt's talking to him, saying something about going away this weekend, and Stiles makes noises about classes and homework and projects he has due, not to mention work, and how he needs more than a few days notice before he takes off for the whole weekend. 

  


Matt starts whining again about how they don't spend enough time together and Stiles is just about to start yelling at him when their path is blocked by someone and Stiles loses the ability to speak.

  


Because the guy standing in front of them is Derek, but he's not a version of Derek that Stiles has seen around campus up until now.

  


The Derek standing in front of him is dressed in blue jeans that cling to every curve, black boots, a gray wife-beater and a black leather jacket that Stiles has never seen before. His hair is styled differently and Stiles swears that Derek's wearing eyeliner.

  


Stiles has to bite his lip hard to stop himself from whimpering.

  


"Uh, can we help you?" Matt says, stepping closer to Stiles. 

  


Derek's eyes track the movement, narrowing until he was glaring at Matt and his proximity to Stiles.

  


"Aren't you going to introduce me?"

  


Stiles swallows hard at the gruff sound of Derek's voice, but he supposes it works for the fear Derek's supposed to be instilling in him, Matt probably won't realize how incredibly turned on Stiles is right now.

  


"D-Tyler, you're not...you were told to stay away. I have a restraining order."

  


“Tyler!?” Matt squeaks, and they both ignore him.

  


Derek cocks his head to the side. "You think I care about something like that when I find out you're seeing other guys?"

  


"I'm allowed to see other people, Tyler, you don't own me. We've haven't been together for years."

  


But Derek's eyes are on Matt and if Stiles didn't know any better, he'd swear that Derek really was the psycho he'd made him out to be. He's glaring at Matt, his eyes narrowed, lip curling in a snarl as he stares at Matt like he's infected with something gross.

  


"So what gives you the right to make a move on another man's guy?" Derek asks, stepping closer and making Matt back up. "Huh? You think you're some sort of god or something? You think you're that awesome?" Sarcasm drips from every word as Derek looks down his nose at the man in front of him.

  


"D-Tyler," Stiles tries, stepping forward. He's honestly scared that Derek is going to do something that he'll come to regret.

  


"I...I..."Matt stammers, "Stiles didn't tell me he was seeing someone! I thought he was single! It's him you should be mad at, he led me on! He lied to me! To both of us!"

  


"Matt!" Stiles yells, wishing he could be surprised at Matt throwing under the bus, but he isn't. He knows Matt and, despite his creeper tendencies, he's a coward at heart.

  


Derek smirks at the cretin. "Oh, but I know Stiles' games by now. He likes it when I'm mad; he likes to get me all hot under the collar, because it gets him off, you know? It'll make the sex that much better when I finally get him back between me sheets." He cocks his head to the side. "Have you fucked him yet? Did he let it get that far this time? Because I think that's something that I'll need to take into consideration when it's time to punish you for dating another man's guy."

  


Matt squeaks. "You...you just said...you said you-!"

  


"Matt, just because I know what Stiles is like, doesn't mean that you get away Scott free. Everyone in this town knows that the sheriff's son is mine. That doesn't change just because I...went away for a little while."

  


"Stiles said you where in prison!" Matt exclaims and Stiles almost loses it. "He said you wouldn't be an issue!"

  


Derek cocks his head like a puppy. "And now that I am a problem, what are you going to do about it?"

  


"Nothing!" Matt shouts. "I'm not going to do anything! He isn't worth losing my life over. he's all yours, man!"

  


"Matt!" Stiles yells, outraged despite everything. He knew Matt was a coward, spineless, but he didn't think the guy would cave so easily.

  


Matt sneers at him, like Stiles is beneath him. "Whatever, Stiles. This whole thing isn't worth someone who wouldn't even put out."

  


"It's been two weeks!"

  


"Whatever," Matt says again and backs away, his hands in the air, "you're so not worth all this shit."

  


Stiles and Derek stand and watch as Matt hurries towards his car without even looking back at either of them.

  


"I wrote down his license plate," Stiles murmurs as the car disappears from the parking lot, "I'll give it to my dad if I see it outside my apartment again. He's the sheriff, I don't know if I told you that. Though I think you scared him off pretty good." He turns to look at Derek. "What the hell is all this, by the way? This whole..." he waves his hands, indicating Derek's...well, everything.

  


Derek shrugs, looking down at himself. "I told my sisters about this whole thing and Cora said that if I was gonna play this part that I have to look the part as well." He looks at Stiles with wide eyes. "Why? Do I not look okay?"

  


Stiles chokes on his own tongue in his haste to correct Derek. "Are you kidding me? You look fucking amazing! Seriously, if I hadn't been waiting months to see this woman sing, I would be dragging you back to my apartment right now and fucking you senseless."

  


It's Derek's turn to choke on nothing and Stiles grins.

  


"Now, come on; I just happened to acquire an extra ticket to this gig, and I want to show you off, looking like that."

  


Derek blushes and looks at his feet. "Stiles, you know...you know that I won't...that this isn't how I look all the time, right? I mean, you don't expect me to always dress like this?"

  


Stiles rolls his eyes. "Duh, man. I like Derek, okay? Not this Tyler person you and your sister cooked up. As grateful as I am for your help and as hot as I think you look right now, this isn't the guy I fell for." He smirks. "I mean, I wouldn't say 'no' to bringing 'Tyler' out to play now and again, but right now, I'd like to get to know Derek."

  


Derek's smile is blinding and Stiles falls just a little bit more.

  


"Why don't we start with this gig you've been raving about for the last couple days?"

  


Stiles bounces on his toes. "She's so great, Derek, you're gonna love her."

  


Matt forgotten, Stiles grabs Derek by the hand and pulls him towards the cafe.

  


  


///

  


  


**Eight months later**

  


"Cora does not hate you, Stiles," Derek says with a roll of his eyes.

  


Stiles is having none of it. "She does too hate me. Have you seen the way she looks at me when you're not looking?" Derek looks at him with his trademark cocked eyebrow. "Alright," he concedes, "fair point. But I'm serious, your sister has a serious dislike for her brother's boyfriend."

  


Derek slings an arm around Stiles' shoulders. "But Laura and my mom and dad love the shit out of you. Cora's just annoyed because she thinks she's losing me to you."

  


"I'd never do that; I know how important family is. I'd never try to come between you and Cora."

  


"And deep down, she knows that. She'll come around, I promise, and then she'll love you as much as everyone else in my family."

  


Stiles wrinkles his nose. "Yeah, your uncle has a weird sort of obsession with me."

  


"Peter's just weird in general."

  


"Yeah, well, when he asks me to take a walk in the preserve with him, I'm-"

  


"Stiles?"

  


Stiles looks up from where he's sitting with Derek under a tree - their tree, because Derek's a sap - with a smile on his face, ready to greet whoever had called his name, but the smile freezes in his face when he locks eyes with Matt. He's looking down at them, his ever present camera around his neck, holding it like he wants to take their picture for the yearbook.

  


Stiles can feel Derek tense next to him, getting ready to spring into action, but Stiles just pats his leg and climbs to his feet. He's not surprised when Derek follows him to his upright position, but he just faces Matt and tries to paste his polite smile back on when everything inside him is telling him to run away.

  


"Hi, hey, Matt, long time no see."

  


Something in Matt's face shutters when he looks at Derek and Stiles holds his breath. He knows what's coming, what Matt is going to say. He's going to have to air all of his dirty laundry all over campus because Matt is butt hurt that Stiles had to resort to desperate measures to get away from him.

  


"So, I see you got away from that asshole," Matt says with a strained smile and Stiles blinks at him for a few seconds, looking back over his shoulder to make sure that it really is Derek still behind him and he hasn't morphed into someone else. But it's Derek who looks back at him with wide, confused eyes and Stiles nods.

  


"Uh, yeah, I...he, uh, he violated his parole, you know? He's back where he belongs, in the big house."

  


Derek snorts. Stiles steps on his foot.

  


"And you're dating someone new," Matt says, stating the obvious.

  


"Yeah, Derek," Stiles tells him slowly and he turns to look at Derek again, takes him in and suddenly, it clicks. 

  


The night in the parking lot, it had been dark, the lighting poor and Derek had been dressed like a bad boy from some fifties TV show, all black leather and acid wash jeans. He'd been wearing eyeliner for God's sake, thanks to Cora's meddling. 

  


Now, Derek's dressed in shapeless jeans and black Chuck Taylors, a white slub t-shirt hiding his perfect physique and Stiles' Met's ball cap pulled low over his product-free hair.

  


He couldn't look less like the man that threatened Matt in that parking lot if he tried and Stiles can barely stop himself from falling into hysterical laughter.

  


Matt clears. "I, uh...Listen, Stiles, I just wanted to apologize for...for that night, on our date? When I..."

  


"Ran away?" Stiles can't help the jibe, his nerves on edge.

  


Matt nods, though. "Right, yeah. I just...that guy..."

  


"I get it, Matt," Stiles tells him with a sigh. "Tyler...Tyler was a bad dude. Is a bad dude. That's why he couldn't stop himself from mugging those little old ladies and getting sent right back to prison. Because he's a bad dude. I don't blame you for being scared of him." He rolls his eyes in feigned self-deprecation. "If I'd been a little more wary of the guy, I wouldn't have been in that situation in the first place."

  


"Why didn't you just leave? If you knew he was going to come looking for you when he got out of prison, why stick around?"

  


Stiles narrows his eyes as he stares Matt down. "You know I met Tyler, like, four years ago, right? After I'd applied to UC Beacon Hills and accepted a scholarship? Never mind the fact that my dad, step-mom, step-sister and my best friends all still live here. Why the hell should I leave my hometown just because of some obsessed dickhead who can't take 'no' for an answer?"

  


Matt scoffs. "Maybe because you'd be safe?"

  


"I am safe!" Stiles yells. "In case you missed it, Tyler is back in prison, where he belongs, because my dad, the Sheriff of our fair town, caught him lurking outside my apartment with a camera and hauled his ass back to jail, where he was connected to dozens of other crimes since he came out of prison which landed him right back in there."

  


The second Stiles makes the comment about catching the imaginary Tyler outside of his apartment, Matt takes a giant step back, while Derek crowds closer.

  


Stiles has to admit, it was a very well placed jibe at Matt's previous creepy behavior and he's proud of himself for it, but he has to give Matt credit; Stiles hasn't seen him since that night in the parking lot.

  


Matt gives a self-deprecating smile. "I guess you just attract the crazy people."

  


"Hey!" Derek shouts, clearly offended, while Stiles practically chokes on his tongue.

  


"I think it's safe to say that that was a phase that I've clearly grown out of." He jerks his thumb at Derek and watches at Matt narrows his eyes.

  


"I think that remains to be seen."

  


"I did mention that my father is the Sheriff, right? He's definitely done his due diligence when it comes to Derek and his background. We have dinner with his family every Tuesday. I think he trusts them."

  


Matt holds up his hands. "I'm not trying to start anything, Stiles. I just saw you sitting here and I wanted to say 'hi'."

  


"Hi," Stiles says pointedly and next to him, Derek makes some sort of movement. When Stiles looks over at him, he has his hand raised, his fingers wiggling in Matt's direction and Stiles has to bite down on his lip to stop laughing out loud.

  


Matt nods his head, looking resigned, and Stiles almost feels bad for the guy, then his eyes catch sight of the camera around Matt's neck and his anger reignites.

  


God knows how many photos this guy has of Stiles, tucked away on some hard drive somewhere - not to mention his apartment, his car, his classes, maybe even his friends and his dad.

  


Derek's been dropping hints like anvils the last few weeks about the two of them moving in together now that they're both in their final year - it might not be a bad idea, the less Matt knows about his whereabouts the better.

  


The two of them watch as Matt walks away until he's swallowed by the crowd on campus and next to Stiles, Derek sighs.

  


"What?"

  


"He's walking; I don't know if he has a car that I'll need to look out for from now on."

  


Stiles rolls his eyes again and laughs. "Don't worry, I still have his license plate from last time. I mean, that's if he's even driving the same car. He might have switched."

  


"I really think you should have told your dad about him back then. Actually, I think we should tell him about Matt now, just in case."

  


"And listen to the lecture he'll launch into when he finds out that not only did I not tell him about the guy that maybe, possibly stalked me for two weeks eight months ago, but I trusted a complete stranger to help me out of that possibly dangerous situation. Telling my dad the truth means telling him the truth about how we met and I think I'll pass on that, thanks."

  


Derek turns slightly pale at the thought and Stiles does a little internal happy dance as his boyfriend nods his head decisively. 

  


"Yeah, maybe we just...we'll just deal with it if something happens after this, okay?"

  


"Okay. Though, I'm a little annoyed that we actually have something to thank the asshole for."

  


Derek whips around to face him. "What the hell are you talking about?"

  


"Think about it, Derek; without Matt, I never would have spoken to you. We literally owe our whole relationship to him."

  


Derek shakes his head in complete denial. "Nope, I refuse to give that psycho credit for anything. I'll continue to believe that we would have met eventually."

  


Stiles grins. "Alright then, we owe the fact that we have had an extra eight months to Matt."

  


Derek huffs and reaches for his bag before he stalks off towards the parking lot and Stiles remembers they're supposed to have dinner with Derek's family tonight, which is why they were talking about Derek's sisters in the first place.

  


Stiles grabs his own bag and hurries to catch up, jogging across the grass until he can take hold of Derek's hand and pull him to a stop.

  


"Come on, Der, you know I'm just kidding around."

  


"I don't like giving him credit for anything. I remember what you were like back then, Stiles. You try to joke about it and laugh it off, and you did the same thing back then. But do you seriously believe I would have even contemplated helping you if I didn't know how utterly terrified you were?"

  


Stiles looks away, down at their joined hands as Derek's words hit a little too close to home. "He wouldn't really have done anything. He wasn't...he's not a bad guy, he's just...possessive, I guess."

  


"That's just the thing, Stiles; you didn't know him, you still don't. You honestly don't know what he would have done if you hadn't asked me to help you that day and got him to back off. And there is not a day goes by that I don't thank whatever higher power exists that I was there that day, that I was able to help you and meet you and fall in love with you."

  


Stiles can't help the grin that steals across his face and he closes the distance between himself and his boyfriend until they're pressed up against each other. "You're really just a big ol' sappy romantic at heart, aren't you?"

  


"If my sappy romanticism keeps you safe and in one peace, that's fine by me." Derek kisses Stiles, lingering a few seconds too long for what's appropriate in public. "Now, come on, dinner. I know you wanna have time to shower and change and panic before we get there."

  


Stiles whines even as he allows Derek to drag him towards the car. "But, Derek, I'm telling you, Cora hates my guts. She doesn't wanna hang out with me. Maybe I should just pretend to be sick or something and we can go together next week when she goes back to college."

  


"No."

  


" _Derek..._ "

**Author's Note:**

> Note
> 
> I don't recommend Stiles plan in any way. Seriously, if you're going through something like this, please contact the authorities. This is not a laughing matter and could become really serious. Luckily, we all know that Matt has a spine like a snail, so it worked. Real life is a different matter; please put yourself first.
> 
> And seriously, check out Jenn Bostic. What a voice!


End file.
